Hungrian Grand Prix – Qualifying

Qualifying session 1 (Q1):
GF first on track followed by new boy JA (Alguersuari) in the Red Bull Toro Rosso, replacing Bourdais
(Without SBo, I can now use just SB for Buemi )
Force India mechanics are working on AS’s car after a crash in the earlier practice session
GF 1:24.691
JA 1:23.951
SB 1:22.380
SB 1:21.813
(JA P2)
(FM P3)
(KR P2)
KR 1:21.602
(LH P2)
SV 1:21.590
KR 1:21.500
10mins = halfway through Q1; RK, NH & AS yet to set a time
AS is in his car with 6mins left of Q1
Some drivers had tried to set times on the soft (prime) tyres but everyone is on the super-soft (option) compound for a final push
5mins left of Q1
Looks like everyone from NR (P4) down is out for a final flying lap
AS back in the pits after an installation lap
(HK jumps from P16 to P7)
3mins left; everyone is on track now
2mins left; bottom 5 are GF, NP, TG, JA, AS
(LH P4)
SV 1:21.478
(FM P2)
JA runs off – stopped on the outside of a corner – yellow flags
NR 1:20.793
1min left
Chequered flag falls; bottom 5 are FA, GF, TG, JA, AS
(GF jumps to P11, relegating RK)
(FA from P18 to P6, pushing down NH)
(AS P18 on his one flying lap)
Back of the grid is P16=NH, 17=GF, 18=AS, 19=RK, 20=JA

FM is still in the car; overhead view shows he went straight off at Turn 4, rubber shows the brakes were locked but the Ferrari is fairly buried in the tyre wall
Ambulance attending, but this may just be precautionary

Race control: Q3 will be delayed
Car is being lifted away on a crane, so FM must be out of the car
Replay shows FM’s accident started before he entered Turn 4 and the car just headed straight for the tyre wall
Speculation is that something hit FM’s helmet during the accident but that could be just because last week’s death of Henry Surtees (John Surtees’ son) when he was hit by a wheel in a Formula Two race [BBC report]

BBC report a piece of rear suspension was missing from RB’s Brawn when he came into the pits at the end of Q2

Race control say Q3 will start at 15:10 local time, so in ~5mins

Slow-motion of FM’s accident show something on the track hitting either FM or the car just before Turn 4
A replay of RB’s car losing a piece of bodywork is at a different corner, so I don’t think the two incidents are related

Qualifying session 3 (Q3):
Battling for the top 10 grid spots are LH, HK, FM, KR, FA, MW, SV, NR, KN & JB … except FM obviously won’t be taking part, so he’ll be in P10
NR is first on track
NR 1:23.620
FA 1:22.717
(KR P2)
NR 1:22.386
5mins left of Q3; JB still in the garage
LH 1:22.286
MW 1:22.021
JB leaves the pits with time for just one flying lap
3mins left; order is MW, LH, FA, SV, NR, HK, KR, KN, JB, FM
BBC report RB has been to the medical centre to see FM, who was conscious; they believe it was RB’s suspension piece that hit him
1min left
NR 1:21.890
BBC report their timing info has gone off … and there goes mine
Chequered flag is out
No on-screen timing info either, so there’s no way to know the positions 🙁
FA and JB compare lap times in parc ferme
There confusion even amongst the drivers, but it appears that FA is on pole
FIA official tells the drivers to wait because they’re still trying to work out who’s where!
The good news is TSN are staying with the FIA feed but the BBC commentary has finished, so now we can hear the drivers/officials and engine noise 🙂

Felipe Massa will need to undergo surgery after it emerged he has suffered bone damage of his skull and a brain concussion in his accident at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

“Following a complete medical examination it emerged that he had suffered a cut on his forehead, a bone damage of his skull and a brain concussion. These conditions need to be operated on after which he will remain under observation in intensive care.”

Felipe Massa will not start the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday. The 28-year-old is currently in a nearby Budapest trauma hospital for checks and treatment for a gash on the face following a scary incident during qualifying.

The left upper front side of Ferrari driver Massa’s helmet was struck by a spring that had come loose from the rear suspension of the Brawn car driven by Rubens Barrichello.

Telephoto lens images of the trackside scene show medical staff physically lifting Massa from his Ferrari and damage to the visor of his Schuberth helmet.

The photos also showed injury to his left eye, which was swollen and closed, below the eyebrow.

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali confirmed to Italian television that Massa will not race on Sunday.

Felipe Massa’s condition was described as ‘stable’ on Sunday morning, with Ferrari confirming that there were no complications overnight following the Brazilian’s successful surgery for a skull fracture at Budapest’s AEK Hospital.

The results were good and he has since been put back under sedation, and will remain in that condition for 48 hours.

Massa had initially suffered “serious, life-threatening injuries”, according to Budapest’s AEK military hospital, but Ferrari later said the operation was “positive” and a “success”.

And the Italian team added on Sunday: “After undergoing an operation yesterday afternoon, Felipe Massa’s condition remains stable and there were no further complications through the night.

“He will be given another CT scan today which will provide more precise information.”

Speaking on Saturday, AEK military hospital medical director Peter Bazso added: “At the moment he’s under anaesthetic and will be woken up on Sunday.”

“During the course of his examination they established that he suffered a serious, life-threatening injuries including loss of consciousness and a fracture of the forehead on the left side and a fracture on the base of the skull.

“After the operation he is being cared for in intensive care and now he is in stable, satisfactory condition.”

Massa’s father, mother and pregnant wife flew in to Hungary from Brazil.

Barrichello said on his Twitter feed that he had visited his compatriot Massa in hospital and the surgery “went very well. Now he is asleep waiting for a new scan tomorrow”.

A Ferrari spokesman said: “Felipe had a quiet night. He is OK, and he is due to have another CT scan today (Monday).”

A Hungarian hospital spokesman said they are “optimistic” that a “slow recovery is beginning”.

“He’s woken up [from sedation] more often and is able to communicate actively,” added Istvan Bocskai, a spokesman for the Hungarian defence ministry, which administers the Budapest hospital where Massa is being treated.